Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to fuel dams, such as fuel dams for restricting fuel flow inside of aircraft wing tanks.
Description of the Related Art
Fuel tanks in some aircraft are contained within the aircraft structure that has been sealed to allow fuel storage. An example of this type is the “wet wing” commonly used in larger aircraft. Since these fuel tanks are part of the aircraft structure, the tanks are designed to meet the structural integrity requirements as well as function of fuel tanks. Large transport aircraft may store fuel in the wings and/or tail of the aircraft. This configuration reduces the weight and complexity as compared to a bladder system.
Typical wing construction includes a plurality of ribs coupled to one or more spars of a wing. The ribs and spars may then be covered with wing panels, which may include a skin having a string coupled thereto as a stiffening member, to provide an external shape to the wing. The ribs are connected to the wing panels during assembly. A fuel barrier may be located between wing ribs and wing panels for fuel containment at fuel tank boundaries or fuel tank baffles in an aircraft. There can be multiple fuel tanks within a wing requiring multiple tank boundaries. These tank boundaries may have fuel dams that prevent fuel seepage across tank boundaries. In a wet wing, every joint and fastener along the fuel tank boundary may be sealed to prevent fuel leaking or seeping to the exterior or other fuel tanks. For example, the wing rib may be positioned adjacent to a skin and stringer requiring sealing along the interface.
Conventional approaches utilize multiple metal brackets for sealing a wing rib adjacent to each stringer. The multiple brackets require eight or nine holes to be drilled to secure the brackets, which is extremely time consuming due to the number of brackets to be installed. Additionally, the holes for the conventional brackets cannot be pre-drilled, but instead, need to be drilled at the time of wing assembly to ensure a proper fit, which requires an operator to work in confined spaces, thereby further increasing the cost of the bracket installation process. Moreover, the brackets need to have contact with bare metal of the wing rib to facilitate an electrically-grounded connection. This requires masking of surfaces of the wing ribs and brackets prior to application of protective treatments, which also requires additional labor.
Therefore, there is a need for a fuel dam that can more easily be installed and can be used across multiple locations and/or aircraft.